Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
Learn more

Butuan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butuan and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Butuan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $569 in Butuan versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Butuan $569
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $899 in Butuan versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Butuan $899
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Butuan versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Butuan $1,229
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Butuan costs roughly 39% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butuan 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱298

$2.24 ฿75.7

108.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 ₱1,693

$19.00 ฿642

39.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.32 ₱149

$5.55 ฿188

-58.20%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱131

$1.67 ฿56.6

22.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.17

$0.64 ฿21.56

-53.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.36

$0.31 ฿10.32

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱101

$2.36 ฿79.6

-33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₱152

$3.66 ฿124

-35.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱123

$1.95 ฿65.8

-1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱71.1

$1.44 ฿48.51

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.33 ฿45.07

-32.33%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$2.28 ฿77.1

-19.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱411

$16.45 ฿556

-60.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱304

$2.78 ฿94.0

70.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ₱602

$9.31 ฿314

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₱170

$2.35 ฿79.5

12.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₱69.8

$0.97 ฿32.82

12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$1.60 ฿53.9

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

-22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.28 ฿43.15

53.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₱218

$1.10 ฿37.22

209.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.5

$0.71 ฿23.84

66.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.76

$0.49 ฿16.38

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₱155

$4.14 ฿140

-41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱491

$17.52 ฿592

-56.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.5

$1.61 ฿54.5

-21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱103

$2.78 ฿94.0

-42.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.8

$1.16 ฿39.08

-30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.40

$0.53 ฿17.82

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$2.42 ฿81.8

-20.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱68.1

$1.45 ฿48.93

-26.90%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-1.31%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-29.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$106 ₱6,765

$62.2 ฿2,100

70.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.42 ₱1,179

$12.17 ฿411

51.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ₱1,960

$20.12 ฿680

52.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.59 ₱1,509

$37.31 ฿1,260

-36.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.18 ₱267

$6.49 ฿219

-35.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$106 ₱6,779

$736 ฿24.9K

-85.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,473 ₱478.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-49.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ₱3,811

$53.4 ฿1,802

11.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ₱1,929

$24.64 ฿832

22.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₱4,417

$91.5 ฿3,089

-24.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,884

$71.9 ฿2,429

-15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

5.57

49.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$198 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$155 27.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 39% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$99 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10% $9.9

Eating Out

Butuan

$84 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.1% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$32 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 57.4% $18

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2953% $59

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Butuan vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $234, with Butuan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Butuan Chiang Mai 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Butuan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $854 in Butuan and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $106 in Butuan versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $26 in Butuan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Butuan and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.